Asia-Pacific Partnership Buildings and Appliances Taskforce

Harmonization of Testing Procedures Workshop on the Lighting Project

Kangnam Novotel Hotel, Seoul, Korea 16th July 2007

The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP) is an initiative to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies. The Partner countries are Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and the United States of America. The Partners have agreed to collaborate to promote and create an enabling environment for the development, diffusion, deployment and transfer of cleaner technologies and practices through a series of Task Forces.

The Buildings and Appliances Task Force (BATF). The BATF has agreed to a series of projects proposals, details of which can be found by clicking here.

One of these projects, Harmonization of Test Procedures, aims to eliminate major barriers to developing successful standards and labeling programs. This project wants to develop enabling arrangements for harmonized test procedures for four technologies including lighting. Almost 30 participants from Partner countries (and invited lighting experts) gathered at this initial workshop to scope the nature of this project. The workshop was convened by the Australian Government with the help of Korean government agencies.

The workshop discussed the suitability and potential design of several project proposals for APP member countries which aim to improve the efficiency of lighting.

The participants agreed the goal of their workshop was to:

Consider developing proposals for practical projects in the field of lighting;
Develop a process and timetable under which APP member countries could take decisions to participate in the potential lighting projects;
Explore how APP member countries can best monitor the range of international initiatives currently ongoing in this field;
Consider the merits of APP member countries coordinating with or even leading these other initiatives within their own project framework.

Lighting use upwards of 19% of global electricity and the electricity consumed by lighting accounts for 2650TWh. Many countries have test procedures, standards, and labeling (mandatory and/or voluntary) schemes for a wide variety of products.
In the majority of cases, these test procedures and resulting performance levels are different, resulting in a worldwide patchwork of testing and performance requirements. What is true for equipment and appliances in general is also true for CFLs. Harmonizing CFL test procedures and regulation will stimulate CFL sales
and dramatically reduce the energy consumption of household lighting and abate greenhouse gas emissions. Despite being globally traded, they remain regulated on a national basis resulting in a multiplicity of test and performance requirements,
even with APP countries. The benefits of harmonisation for all stakeholders are obvious:

Suppliers - reduced costs for manufacturers/increased range of products available in individual markets
Regulators - increase options for regulators/programmes to undertake voluntary or mandatory actions
Compliance - increased potential for improved quality of product through more robust compliance locally and pan-nationally
Public - increased consumer knowledge/choice and reduces their overall costs

The workshop was able to resolve agreement from all participants that two possible projects would not only contribute to the APP agenda but could also coordinate (and in some aspects lead) the global agenda for high efficiency lighting.

Possible Project 1 - Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)

Goals: The proposed project would develop a methodology for test procedures that is harmonized among the participant countries, share the developed methodology and engage international standards agencies, amass results using the methodology, and facilitate mutual acceptance of accreditation of CFL testing facilities and test results.

Methodology: Work with APEC-supported CFL International Harmonization Initiative (CFLI) to create a single international testing method for CFLs.

Funding: Budget likely to be about US$400,000 (Australia able to provide about half)

Possible project 2 - Facilitation of Regional Phaseout of Inefficient Lamps

Goals: Promote the uptake of efficient lighting and the removal of inefficient lighting technologies, develop and share a phaseout method, coordinate phaseout programs, conduct relevant research and amass results, and facilitate mutual acceptance of accreditation and results

Methodology: Complement Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) work on phaseout in China and other nations. Lend APP brand name to ongoing international work.

Funding: Budget likely to be about US$400,000